Hate To Say I Told You So
by rocknrollneverforgets
Summary: It's been two years since Robin Hood's wife died, and he's still coming to grips with life without her. Meanwhile, his friend David is stuck in a marriage Robin can tell isn't perfect, and his friend Killian is sleeping with a married woman. The largest tragedy of all though, is that Mulan keeps beating him at tennis.
1. Come On Over

Robin lunged for the ball and let out an exasperated groan as he landed on the floor. The ball rolled past his head, in a manner that almost seemed gloating. Mulan's laughter echoed across the hall. "That's the fourth one you've missed." She informed him. "I think you're losing your touch."

Robin pulled himself to his feet heavily and threw the tennis racket away in disgust. "I never did have much of an eye for tennis." He replied, defensively (though it wasn't true, he'd won their tennis tournament last year). "Paintball next week, I'll obliterate you." He grinned, and Mulan shook her head, smiling.

"You're just a lucky shot." She said, whilst picking up his racket and throwing it back to him. He caught it deftly. Mulan raised her eyebrows and smirked. "I think you can go another round." She decided, and served another ball, which Robin managed to return.

For a while there were only the sounds of racket on ball, and the occasional good natured tease from one of them when the other missed the ball. But they were mostly silent, because they always played competitively; or they wouldn't bother playing at all.

They played for almost an hour, before Robin finally conceded to Mulan's victory, and they both sat down heavily on the bench.

"So…" Mulan started, wiping her sweaty face with the towel she's had the foresight to bring. "How did the date go?" She asked cautiously, and Robin knew she genuinely cared about how it had gone for him. Mulan had never been the sort of friend to make jokes a lot, but Robin still liked her. She was a good person, and an even better friend. He told her most things, even things he didn't tell his other best friends.

"Bloody useless." He confessed. "She spent the whole evening telling me about her love of knitting. I've never been more bored in my life!" He recalled the painful three hours he'd spent pretending to be interested in the dynamics of wool, and in hindsight, thought he really should have listened to Killian when he took one look at her profile and went 'nah mate'.

"There'll be others." Mulan said, almost wistfully.

"I know." Robin replied. "I just miss her so much, you know? It just doesn't ever feel like there can be anyone as good as her." He almost whispered the last part, feeling the faint grief he'd been living with for a while now. Mulan understood.

"I understand." She said, echoing his thoughts. "You and Marian were so lucky, finding each other at such a young age. You had something special." She hesitated for a moment. "You were married to an amazing woman Robin, but there _are _other amazing women out there. No one ever has just one love."

"You're right." Robin acknowledged, and gave her a faint smile. "Guess I'll have to keep going with the pathetic online dating then, huh?"

Mulan laughed and punched him on the shoulder. "It's not pathetic! Lots of people do it nowadays!"

"If you say so." He chuckled.

Mulan wasn't always the best with her words, but she always said the right thing when Robin needed her too. He was lucky to have such an amazing friend, and decided he'd buy her her favourite custard doughnuts on the way home.

Mulan interrupted his resolve with a rap from her racket, which he'd noticed was significantly more worn than his. Was she playing with other people? _That cheater!_ He thought, _she's getting extra practice in so she can keep beating me! _Mulan took no chances when it came to tennis. _She thinks she's outsmarted me, _he thought, amused. _I'll get Killian to play with me next week. _That was probably an awful idea, but he'd do it all the same, because he wasn't having the name of Hood disgraced. He was tennis reigning champ. At least, he was on Wii sports.

He got home a few hours later, having walked through the park with the custard doughnuts, not caring about scaring off kids with the smell of their sweat. The house was silent, as usual, and he wished Mulan hadn't had to run off to meet Aurora and Phillip.

They'd brought such a big place, him and Marian. Big to say there was only two of them. The house had two floors, with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. For the future, Marian had said, mysteriously, and Robin had grinned, knowing exactly what she meant. But now he had no one to fill those rooms with, and the apartment was far too big. He didn't like being alone in it.

He pined for the old days, when he would've called up David, and he would've been around in a second, armed with the newest Marvel movie and a ton of popcorn. But now David was married, and his wife Kathryn always had him busy with something. They never got to talk any more. Even at dinners, Kathryn was always there, leering over her husband's shoulder protectively.

For a brief moment he considered calling Killian, but decided against it. His friend had confided in him the other week that he was seeing a married woman, and Robin had had enough of hearing the details of his friend's dirty fantasies that were now coming true.

Sadly, apart from Mulan, he didn't have many other friends. Apart from the group of men that had always been at the pub at the same time as him just after Marian had died, also drinking heavily for their own personal reasons. After a while, they had started jokingly calling themselves 'the merry men'.

It started to rain, and the downpour thundered against the attic windows up the stairs. It looked like going out to escape the empty house was out of the question. Robin sighed, and turned on the TV. It wasn't like he had anything better to do.

He was in bed with the lights out when he heard the rapping at the door. It was a desperate knock that told Robin the call was urgent. He leaped out of bed instantly, glad for the company, even if it would only last a few minutes at most.

He bolted down the stairs excitedly, and fumbled for the keys in the drawer before stuffing them in the lock. He threw the door open to find a rain soaked David looking distraught, and Robin wasn't sure if the water running down his cheeks was rain or tears. "Can… I… come… in?" He said, his voice catching in between words as he regained his breath. He'd obviously run here.

Robin stood back and allowed his friend to enter, before ramming the door shut. It never closed properly otherwise, stupid thing. David leaned against a counter, breathing heavily, and Robin decided the water was just rain. His friend's eyes weren't red in the slightest; there was no other indication that he'd been crying. He did look awful though, hair plastered to his forehead, white as a sheet and eyes wide as saucers.

"Do you… Want tea?" Robin asked, haltingly, before cursing himself as he remembered born Americans were more partial to coffee. He'd only lived fifteen years of his life in his parent's home in London, but the tea thing still clung to him, as did the clipped accent.

David accepted the offer anyway, because he was just that kind of person. So Robin made two cups, and they moved towards the sofa.

"Are you going to tell me what's up?" Robin said, breaking the silence that had entered the room. Like Mulan, David had never been someone of too many words. Not that he needed to be; Killian talked enough shit for all three of them.

"I left Kathryn." David said, simply. Robin was shocked. David Nolan was a stoic man with an elevated sense of doing the best thing for the people around him. Robin had been able to tell things were not perfect between him and Kathryn, but he knew that sadly, David would feel he owed it to her to stick it out.

"…Why?" Robin sputtered out after a few moments of shocked silence.

David shook his head mournfully. "I didn't love her." He said. "She deserves someone that will love her properly, like… Noah loved Ally in The Notebook. We were only married because of an ultimatum." Robin decided he'd leave the questionable film reference until later, and tackle the problem at hand. Leave it to David to come up with a noble reason for leaving his wife.

"But why now?" He asked.

David shrugged. "I just woke up and thought 'is this it?' I realised I needed to do something about it."

Robin narrowed his eyes. Though David's explanation sounded genuine enough, Robin just got the feeling there was something he wasn't telling him. There was no way David had 'just woken up' and decided it was time to stop putting his wife before himself. Something had changed. But Robin had no idea what and he wasn't going to press David right there and then.

"Do you want to stay here?" Robin asked, secretly hoping David would never leave, and that he wouldn't have to be alone in the house ever again. He immediately regretted wishing his friend no reconciliation or new partner, and told that part of his brain to shut up.

He still lit up inside though, when David nodded gratefully. "I'll go get one of the spare rooms ready…" He began, moving to get off the sofa, but David cut him off.

"Can't we just… stay up?" He asked. Robin smiled internally at his choice of words. David sounded less like a thirty two year old man and more like a twelve year old boy. At least, a twelve year old boy with an exceptionally deep voice for his age. "I feel like I haven't spoken to you in ages." He looked hopeful, and Robin really wanted to.

"I've got work tomorrow." He said, hesitantly.

"So have I." David said. "Call in sick."

A grin spread across Robin's face slowly. He sat back down. "I'm all ears Charming. What do you want to talk about?"

So they talked, for hours and hours, and Robin remembered why him and David had been best friends, recalling the days when they and Killian had been the three musketeers. Mulan had always been a separate friend, who disapproved of Killian's attitude to women and David's… well she disapproved of David because he beat her in a football game one time. Soccer to them, actually.

David had been the first one to befriend Robin when he first started school in America, and incidentally, the two – more accidentally than not – became fast friends with the school dealer, and David's former enemy. There had been animosity between the two at first, but through Robin, they'd become just as good friends as Robin and Mulan (whom he'd met when she was the only one who could beat him in basketball).

They talked about their nicknames, which made them both laugh. David recalled fondly how Killian had come to be known as Hook, because of his tendency for hooking up with every woman he met. In turn, Killian had named David 'Charming' because despite his own flirting, many of the women he'd pursued had gravitated towards his chivalrous best friend. Neither of them could remember if Robin had had a nickname, as for the last thirteen years he'd just been 'Rob'. Except to Mulan, who refused to shorten his name.

They chastised their younger selves for being such typical teenagers, but laughed anyway, and Robin couldn't remember when they'd broken out the wine, but he did know that they'd finished three bottles by the time they finally went to bed. He didn't regret it though; they were having fun.

It was 6:30am when Robin's alarm clock started bleeping like an ambulance siren. "I regret last night so much." He moaned aloud, through his thumping headache and nausea. He hadn't drunk like that since Marian first died, and he really wasn't used to it at all. He heaved himself out of bed, and ran to the bathroom, narrowly avoiding missing the toilet. He flushed the toilet as quickly as possible, disgusted with himself, even though he then felt better.

Propping himself up against the toilet, Robin listened to the house, and didn't detect any indication that David was up yet. Of course. Kathryn had always been partial to expensive wines with dinner. She liked the best of the best. Whereas he, Robin, had been pretty much t-total for a year, to honour Marian's memory of sorts. It was a big change from the flask he'd used to keep with him at all times before he met her and the year after her death.

He went downstairs and phoned the office to tell them he wouldn't be coming in, and he wasn't really lying about being sick, even though he wouldn't be telling them it was a hangover. He'd told the truth on that one before at one of his first jobs, and learned the hard way that bosses are _not _human.

He decided that if David was going was going to stay in his house, he could damn well get up and keep him company. So he went back upstairs and hammered on his friend's door, yelling: "Charming! Get up you lazy arsehole!" He'd slipped back into the old nickname so easily, it was almost like being a teenager again, Robin reflected.

Surprisingly, he heard the sound of a door swinging open behind him, and swung round immediately, prepared for a fight. But it was just David, and Robin was embarrassed to realise he'd been hammering on the wrong door.

David yawned widely as he came out into the hallway, mumbling: "What are you yelling about? And who's a lazy arsehole?" Robin ignored him for the moment, cursing himself for not remembering that David slept with the door slightly ajar. Of course the closed door he'd been near breaking down wasn't where his friend had slept.

"Doesn't matter." He replied eventually. "Do you want breakfast?" He'd not seen David so completely in alert in years, and he marvelled at his friend's slow nod. Normally he would've been the one up early, with bacon and eggs already on the table.

So Robin made breakfast, albeit slightly burned breakfast, but David didn't seem to mind. "It's nice." His friend said earnestly, as he chewed another burnt slice of bacon extravagantly.

"You keep going with that if you want to." Robin said. "I'm having toast, which I will most definitely _not _burn." But unsurprisingly, David ate everything Robin had cooked and or fried, and refused to call it anything other than delicious. His stubborn nature made Robin smile. Some things never changed.

"So, we've got the whole day free." David said, after downing a whole glass of orange juice in one gulp. Robin remembered he didn't even like orange juice and thought that David was probably was probably just trying to wash away the taste of that last sausage he'd oh-so-bravely eaten.

"Yeah." Robin acknowledged. "And I know exactly what we're gonna do." An evil smile spread slowly across his face.

"Weren't you here yesterday?" The bored looking guy on the desk at the sports centre asked, scrutinising Robin. "Man, I don't understand the hype with tennis these days. It's because you're British isn't it? Are you trying to be the next Andy Murray or something?"

"Yes." Robin told him, because he didn't really want to talk to him, and he and David grabbed their things and headed for the courts, which were, as usual, empty.

"I can't believe you're making me play extra tennis with you so you can get one up on Mulan." He chuckled. "She won't be pleased to hear about this, after what you've told me about her and her tennis."

"Yeah well, she did it first." Robin said, bouncing the ball up and down to test it.

"How do you know?" David asked, eyebrows raised.

"Her rackets more worn out than mine."

David snorted, but didn't ask any more questions, and threw himself into the game of tennis earnestly, as he did with everything. He actually proved to be a formidable opponent, but Robin came out on top, to his satisfaction.

As they cooled down Robin informed David this was becoming a regular thing, and David nodded with a hint of a smile that Robin knew meant he wanted Mulan to lose at something other than archery for a change. Other than that one football- no _soccer- _game, she'd always beaten him at everything as well. Despite his gracious attitude to losing, David was not actually as charming as he appeared, and obviously savoured the thought of Mulan not being victorious. Of course, it was all good natured. The friendly competition between him and his companions had always been one of Robin's favourite things about having them. Perhaps it was a little less than friendly between Killian and David, but they would always be that way. And plus, it was hilarious to watch.

Robin was secretly glad David had left his wife, though he would never confess it, because it was a horrible thing to be glad over, and he knew it. But he had his friend back now, and a friend was what he had needed.

"Come on!" David called to him from the doorway. "We can go get Mr. Whippys in the park!" His excitement was catching and Robin's smile grew bigger.

"Coming." He replied, gathering his equipment.

**A/N: Rowland was never born in this fic.**


	2. Surprise Surprise

Of course, they'd only been home two minutes when a rapping curiously reminiscent of the one David had performed last night came at the door. David himself was upstairs doing god-knows-what, so Robin was left to answer the door to whatever angry/distraught person might be behind it this time. At least this person had the grace to knock at a sensible time.

He turned the key in the look and opened the door to find a positively explosive looking Kathryn. Robin even stepped back a pace in alarm. He'd never seen her look so terrifying as long as he'd known her, and nor had he imagined that she could. Her eyes were bulging and her face was puce, and she really did have the look of a murderer. Her glare made Robin wince.

"Where is he?" She hissed, and Robin gained enough composure to actually act like a good friend.

"Who?" He said, in a tone that was a shade too nonchalant. He wasn't really doing all that great a job.

Kathryn seemed to have picked up on that too, because she shoved her way into the house (not that Robin did much to stop her) and screamed, "DAVID! I KNOW YOU'RE HERE YOU SPINELESS LITTLE TWAT!" Ouch. Had David done something worse than leave his wife in the small space of time since last night? He wondered if David would come downstairs. Most likely. He'd never been very bright.

Sure enough, it wasn't long before his friend appeared, looking a little shocked. "Kathryn!" He said, in a forcefully cheerful manner. His nerve seemed to lose him after that, and he didn't say anything more, but just descended the rest of the stairs.

Robin had to admire the man's courage. He stood right in front of Kathryn, and did not move, for the entire time she shouted abuse at him. She even slapped him a few times, but still he stayed. He wasn't completely stoic though, and Robin could see the emotions ripping across his features, regret and hurt and sadness and even a little anger at times.

Eventually, he stepped forward. "Is there, you know, a reason for this, because I feel like the neighbours are really gonna need a reason." That prompted Kathryn to turn her icy stare on Robin, and subsequently, made him wish he'd never spoken. But he continued anyway. "I mean surely this could've been got out of your system last night when he left you?"

Kathryn's head whipped back around to her (former) husband. "So you haven't told him have you?" She almost sneered, but in a more reasonable tone of voice that Robin was glad for. Next door's cat already hated him. David went noticeably white, which made Robin all the more intrigued as to what he had done to fire Kathryn up so much.

"Your friend," Kathryn declared, "Did _not _split up with me for whatever _noble _reasons he gave us both." David squirmed. "He lied to me, and it appears he lied to you in just the same way. Didn't you David?" David didn't say anything. He didn't look at Robin either; he only gazed at some unknown point on the floor.

"So I had to find out this morning, from the _paper boy _of all people, that my _noble _husband, has been having an affair!" Her tone dripped with venomous sarcasm, and Robin could not help but understand her anger a little. David might be his friend, but Robin saw no way to defend his actions here.

"Who was it David?" She hissed. "Who did you love more than me?" David still didn't reply, now staring down at his feet.

Kathryn flipped her hair haughtily. "Protect her then. I'll find out soon enough. Good bye Robin, I'll leave you two be. I expect you have a few _things _to discuss." And with that, she stormed out of the door, slamming it shut behind her.

And then it was just the two of them, and the house was silent. David still didn't speak, and Robin knew he was going to have to take it upon himself to start this conversation. "Why?" He asked, simply.

David met his eyes then, full of regret. "I met someone else." He said, hoarsely. And then it all came pouring out. "I love her Robin, really, I do. I was too scared to end things with Kathryn, so I just kept going." He looked desperate. "I know it was wrong, I knew it all along. She's right, I was a spineless idiot."

Robin took a deep breath before he asked: "Did neither of them know?"

"No." David replied, which prompted a single tear to slide down his cheek. "But Kathryn will tell her soon. And then that will be the end of that." Robin actually agreed with him, but best friends were supposed to be comforting in those sorts of situations so he just nodded in an understanding way.

They sat in silence again for a while again, which really did seem to be the main element of all Robin's conversations recently.

"I'm not supporting what you did." He said, finally. "But if you want to make it right, I'll support you on that."

David looked almost hopeful. "What should I do?" He asked.

"You have to tell this girl that you're in love with before Kathryn does. You have to take whatever response she gives you, and suck it up, because you brought this on yourself my friend." He hoped he hadn't been a little too harsh with that.

Thankfully, David nodded slowly, a sort of purpose seeming to come back to him. "Yeah!" He said. "I'll do that! I'll do the right thing! In fact, I'll go do it right now!" He scrambled to stand up and pull on his jacket simultaneously, which ultimately just made both tasks harder. He ran for the door, moving quickly, before pausing and turning around. "Will you come with me?" He asked, quietly.

Robin hesitated for a second, wondering if this was something his friend should be doing on his own. But he still came to the conclusion that friends always look out for each other. "Oh, alright." He conceded. "Just let me get my coat."

David had texted his mysterious paramour – as Robin had taken to calling her inside his head – and arranged to meet in the park. Maybe he hoped she would be less vicious in a public setting, Robin wasn't sure, but he knew that they had been sat on a bench surrounded by noisy kids for twenty minutes.

"Why did we choose to sit here again?" He asked.

"She's a teacher." David explained, matter-of-factedly. "She likes kids."

Robin raised his eyebrows. "So you thought they'd… put her in a better mood…?"

"Maybe!" David said, stressing. "Do you think so? I don't know! Should we move? She likes flowers too, there's some nice ones over there, come on, let's go…"

"David?" Both men's heads shot up to the source of the voice, and Robin saw David's fear etched in his face. Honestly, he would be scared too, if he was about to ruin his relationship with someone so pretty. For a second, Robin could see why David had felt the need to make a train wreck of his marriage, but then it passed and he internally shouted at himself. Kathryn had been pretty too. This girl must have like, an even better pressed leaf collection than Kathryn had had.

"Mary Margaret, hi!" David leaped up to greet her. "This is Robin, my friend." As he shook hands with Mary Margaret and silently pitied her alliterate name, Robin kept a close eye on his friend. It was clear as day that he adored the woman. The way he moved around her, the way he looked at her… and her too. It was quite sweet really, though sickeningly so, which Robin refrained from voicing.

David was quick to lead Mary Margaret away from Robin, which Robin was grateful for. He didn't actually want to listen. The two of them disappeared into the trees, talking amiably, which Robin took to mean David had yet to inform Mary Margaret of his news.

Then alone, Robin took the time to sit back on the bench in the sun. He had decided that he in fact didn't mind where he was seated. The sound of the children was actually nice, which sounded a lot creepier than he had meant it to. But nevertheless, the atmosphere made him wonder if he would ever have kids in the future. He and Marian had always wanted to.

It had been at least half an hour before David came back, and unsurprisingly, Mary Margaret was not with him. But Robin put all sarcastic words out of his mind before jumping up to console his ashen faced friend. He'd known David long enough to be able to detect the traces of a hastily wiped away tear.

Rather than shouting David's troubles out for all to hear, Robin waited until they were within a metre of each other before he spoke. "What did she say?" He asked, quietly.

"She can't trust me anymore." David said, and Robin could tell his voice was struggling not to crack. "And she can't be with someone she doesn't trust; no matter how much she loves me. She said our relationship is destructive. That we're better off apart." He didn't seem to be able to stop. Robin gave him credit for staying reasonably calm.

"She loves you." Robin said, and both of them knew it wasn't a question. David just nodded, and Robin already knew the feeling was reciprocated. He hadn't seen his friend act like he had around Mary Margaret since… well, never.

The fell into silence for a minute before Robin spoke again. "Come on." He said, with forced cheer. "Let's go get doughnuts and watch the game. I bet you the Eagles lose."

David paused for a second, before a small grin spread across his face. "You're on, Hood." He laughed, seemingly cheered up. Of course, Robin knew it was an act, but it was exactly the reaction he had been aiming for with his suggestion. David needed to think about something else.

"Four laundry piles on a win for the Giants." Robin grinned, rubbing his fingers together theatrically. "Think of all those dirty socks."

"Oh, that's how it is then?" David pretended to be shocked.

"That's how it is!" Robin laughed. "You're living in my house, it's your house too." They both laughed, but Robin knew David understood what he had just offered. It wasn't like he would be reconciling with Kathryn. Robin glowed with excitement. He hadn't had a full time roommate since university.

"Why don't you throw in a few bouts of washing up, be done with it?" David smiled.

"Careful, I might." Robin chuckled.

The game was just ending with the Eagles leading by a substantial amount when the phone rang. A triumphant and near gloating David grabbed the receiver with a mouthed, 'I'll put my gym socks in ready' which made Robin groan. "Hello?" He said. "Oh, hi Killian!"

If Killian was calling, it was probably to say he'd be round in a few minutes and to open the door because it had started to rain and he didn't want his eyeliner to run. Or at least, that's what Robin imagined. More likely, it was to tell them about his latest escapade with his married woman, which Robin _really _didn't want to hear about.

"I'm staying at Robin's." David said. "Yeah, I'm sure that'll be fine." He put his hand over the receiver for a second. "Okay if Killian comes over?" He checked. Robin nodded, albeit wearily. "Yeah, it's fine. See you in ten minutes. Okay. Bye." He put the phone down with a sigh.

"Killian's coming over." He said.

"I heard."

"He's coming alone though."

"Oh thank God."

Relieved to hear Killian's 'friend' so to speak, would not be attending, Robin leapt up. "Coffee?" He asked, to which David nodded gratefully. Robin was just glad he'd got it right this time, but he'd put a sneaky cup of tea on for himself. He'd never really warmed to coffee.

Killian's distinctive rap on the door came precisely on time, and Robin swung the door open to have his friend hurry inside, shaking out the collar of his leather jacket, which he had been holding over his head. "Robin, mate! And David, you lazy arse, get off the sofa I haven't seen you in weeks."

Robin took note of the angry love bite on his friend's neck, and wondered if David had any similar ones, whether from his wife or from Mary Margaret. He didn't voice that thought, knowing that David would most likely punch him in the face.

"What's up Hook?" David called, declining to get off the sofa. He slipped easily into the nickname, and Robin watched the ghost of an affectionate smile play around the edge of Killian's lips. It made him a little wistful that he'd never had a proper nickname for a few seconds, but he shook off the feeling. It wasn't like it had greatly affected his childhood.

Killian hopped over the back of the sofa and made himself comfortable immediately. "Well lads, I've got a bit of news for you." He absentmindedly moved the zipper on his jacket up and down. If he was anyone else, Robin would think nothing of that gesture. But he wasn't, and he'd known Killian for years. It was a nervous habit. Not one he often saw, which only made it all the easier to pick up on. He brought David's coffee over and sat down next to Killian.

"Let me guess." He cut in. "Your girlfriend's husband found out about your affair and wants to kill you?" He cast a look at David, who averted his eyes guiltily. "You're thinking of starting your own eyeliner range? You're going to pierce your bellybutton?" He kept his face straight as he joked, but he saw the corners of David's mouth curl up in a grin, that looked like it was in spite of himself.

Killian just gave him a waspish look and pretended he hadn't heard his jokes. "Milah and I, are moving to Australia." He didn't waste any time dropping that bombshell, Robin observed, in the small space of time before his brain properly registered what Killian had said.

David beat him too it. "What?!" He exclaimed, disbelief clear in his voice. "You're moving to the other side of the world?!" His voice grew steadily louder as he spoke, and he'd stood up, most likely unknowingly.

"Christ Hook!" Robin groaned. "Australia?" Killian at least had the grace to look a little sheepish, and it was now obvious why he had been fiddling with his jacket zip. He put his arms behind his head and grimaced, whilst Robin tried to imagine him bumbling around Australia sweating through his leather jacket and enchanting Australians with his 'foreign' English accent.

"We have to get away from her husband." Killian said. "It's the only way." He took a deep breath. "I love her."

"Doesn't always matter." Robin muttered. "Ask David." That particular comment earned him a death glare from his largely physically intimidating friend, and a surprising expression of understanding from his other friend.

"So which one found out first?" Killian said, grinning. David looked like he was definitely about to hit something, and Robin really hoped it wouldn't be him. It took him a second to register the meaning of Killian's words.

"Wait?" He interrupted. "You knew about Mary Margaret?"

Killian laughed. "Did I _know?_ Caught them bloody all over each other at the park." He looked at David. "You've a lot to learn about being discrete, mate." David put his head in his hands and groaned. "So what happened?"

Seen as David didn't look like he much wanted to talk about it, Robin explained, in short. "He left Kathryn, who then found out he had been having an affair and got even angrier than she had been previously, he decided to do the right thing and tell Mary Margaret that he was married, she wasn't happy, and left." He was aware that he wasn't exactly being the most considerate of David's feelings in that account, but he didn't care. He'd do anything for the man, but he wasn't going to commend his friend's actions.

"Shit." Killian said, and Robbin nodded, echoing his notion. They sat in silence for a few moments, until Killian's phone buzzed in his pocket. He drew it out, looking excited, and smiled contentedly as he looked at the screen.

"Milah's husband is working." He said. "Do you mind if I…"

"No, go ahead." Robin waved in the general direction of the door. "We'll see you later in the week." Killian nodded respectfully, and leapt off the sofa. He was almost running, obviously excited to go see Milah.

"See you later!" He called from the door. "And David," he stopped halfway out of the door. "You'll be alright mate." And with that, he left, shutting the door behind him. Robin leaned back on the sofa and sighed. Bombshell after bombshell it seemed to have been, over the last few days. Still, he wasn't complaining. It was far preferable to sitting alone in this huge house pretending to watch crappy TV.

He reached for his tea and sighed again as he took a sip. It had gone cold.


	3. Oh Captain, My Captain

It had been a week since Killian's announcement, and Robin and David had spent all their time 'helping' him pack. Or rather, they'd packed for him. They'd started to anyway, but David had vetoed after taking one look at Killian's sock drawer, leaving Robin. He was still holding that over both his friends' heads.

The morning dawned clear, but chilly, and the street outside was bathed in an early morning glow. Whilst the sky was misty and white, leaves of orange spiralled down to the road, littering the pavement, the same colour as the sun peeking out from behind a hill. Robin gazed blearily at the scene out of his window before groaning loudly about how cold it was getting and how early he was up. He'd no idea why he was up so early; it had just started happening. Which was annoying, because then he was tired, unnecessarily cold, and very bored, because David slept in until at least a normal time. But it kept happening anyway.

He padded downstairs and switched the kettle on. Instead of sitting down, he decided to put a bit of music on. If he was lucky, it'd wake David up. The first song that came on shuffle was Hooked On A Feeling, which actually made him grin a little bit. David had made him download it after they'd gone to see Guardians Of The Galaxy last week. Killian hadn't been so keen: superhero movies weren't really his thing. Robin unconsciously began to mumble along to the song, and becoming aware of how out of tune he was, he only sang louder. Maybe he could get the neighbours to move out once and for all.

To his joy, David appeared at the top of the stairs after a few moments, looking annoyingly alert. "Turn it up!" He called, grinning, and danced down the last few stairs. "Want toast?" He asked, and Robin nodded. David didn't seem to eat anything but toast. The Weetabix was getting no more use than Robin had given it for the last two years. To think he'd bought it specially.

"We're signing the divorce papers today."

The statement caught Robin's attention and he jerked his head up to look at David, who was still nonchalantly making toast. "What? You didn't tell me that!"

David shrugged. "It never came up. It's not like it's a very interesting topic of conversation, anyway."

"Doesn't mean you have to keep quiet though." Robin muttered. David caught it, and grimaced apologetically.

"Sorry."

Robin sighed. "Nah, it's fine. You're fine with it?"

David shrugged, and Robin couldn't help but notice that the gesture seemed almost forced. "Well I did walk out on her." He replied. "I initiated it." He didn't make eye contact, and Robin had known him long enough to know that something about finalising the divorce was bothering him. But he'd also known him long enough to how stubborn he was. He'd get nowhere by asking.

He nodded in an understanding way before asking, "Do you want me to come with you?" It was impossible to miss the flash of gratefulness that passed over David's face, and the barely concealed grin.

But all he said was: "If it's not too much trouble, that'd be great. Thanks."

So that was how Robin found himself sat outside the solicitor's waiting for Kathryn soon-to-be-not Nolan to show up. David was jiggling his leg nervously, and Robin had started to wonder if this had been the best idea he'd ever had. Kathryn could be downright terrifying when she wanted to be, and he wasn't really in the mood for getting between the two of them again.

She turned up promptly enough, and not alone. Alarmed, Robin sat up straight. He didn't feel prepared for ex-partner spats whilst slumping. David hadn't been the only one to bring company, and Robin immediately felt a sense of competitivity with Kathryn's friend. Though no more physically imposing than average, the woman managed to cut an intimidating figure. She was immaculately dressed, with perfectly styled hair and blood red lipstick that seemed permanent. She was an ice cold beauty, and Robin immediately scrabbled to rearrange his expression to one that looked less like he had just woken up.

David recovered quicker, and leapt up to play the charming husband… ex-husband. "Kathryn, hi!" He said, in a tone Robin decided was far too enthusiastic for a divorce. "And Regina." He followed up. "It's been a while." Regina. There was something very fitting about the name. Didn't it mean queen in Latin? (Maybe those early years in public school Britain hadn't been completely wasted on him.) It suited her, he decided. She carried herself like she was royalty, certainly.

"Yes, I imagine it has." Regina said, her tone far icier than Kathryn's had been a minute ago. "I haven't seen you since… oh! Before you cheated on my friend Kathryn and lied about it to her! Yes, I think that _was _a while ago." The resulting tension was thick enough to cut with a knife, and Robin almost felt like taking a step back. David was just frozen, guilt plainly written across his entire face, and even Kathryn seemed a little uncomfortable.

"Hey, it's okay Regina." Kathryn mumbled. "I've already had it out with him." She said, a little louder, and smiled sweetly at David. That almost made Robin laugh; David was done for. But he didn't laugh, because he was here for support.

Regina looked like she was about to say something even more cutting (if that was possible) back, but luckily, she was interrupted.

"Mr and Mrs Nolan!"

They all filed into the office, and Robin didn't miss the look of disdain Regina gave him, as if to say 'who the hell are you?' Fair enough though, David had never really got around to introducing him before he'd been absolutely slaughtered by her.

Surprisingly, David and Kathryn made almost amiable conversation as they went through the procedure, and Robin could already see how much more natural they were non-romantically. Regina, however, was glaring at her friend, in the way all friends do when their friend is so obviously being a wimp. She cast her glare to David every now and again, who after a failed weak smile, just looked perpetually alarmed. She looked at Robin once or twice, and he grimaced back, which provoked no reaction other than disdain from her.

The whole thing was over quickly, and rather non-painfully. David grinned at Robin a little as he walked out, who only raised his eyebrows. Once outside, Regina spoke. "Kathryn, we have that meeting to get to."

"Uh yes, of course." Kathryn acknowledged. "I just… I need to talk to David first… alone." Regina snorted, but made no effort to prevent the private conversation. So Kathryn and David walked off together to a couple of metres away, and left Robin with an impatient Regina. He didn't know whether to be more worried about himself or David. Himself, he decided. David went to the gym more often; he should've been able to take care of himself.

After a few moments, Robin could no longer stand the silence. "So… how long have you known Kathryn?" He asked, awkwardly. He had deliberately left David out of the equation, hoping it would calm her.

Regina fixed him with a curt look before answering. "Five years. We work together."

"Oh, that's nice." Robin said, trying to look much more interested than he was. And then he decided: fuck it; it wasn't him she was angry at. "That was an impressive display in there." He told her.

He could've sworn she almost smiled for a half second. "Well, I thought _someone _needed to say it." She said.

He laughed then, at his friend's expense or not; she was right. "They did." He conceded. "He might still be having nightmares when he's eighty, but someone did need to say it."

She looked at him then, really looked at him. She didn't smile, but Robin decided it was a step forward. "We haven't been properly introduced." She said, eventually, after making him feel significantly more uncomfortable than he'd have liked to be.

"No." He replied. "I'm Robin." He held out a hand, which she eyed distrustfully and decided not to take.

"Robin? What kind of name is that? Are you from a family of bird watchers?" Robin couldn't help but admire her bluntness, it was rather endearing.

"Are you from a family of Latin queen lovers? No." He was aware it wasn't the best comeback he'd ever come out with. In fact, it was probably one of the worst. _Latin queen lovers? That's _not _a thing Robin! _He followed it up quickly, before she could mock his absolutely abysmal joke. "Do you think they'll stay friends?"

Regina had raised her eyebrows, undoubtedly at what he had said, but they relaxed as she considered his question. "Unfortunately, yes." She conceded. "She says it wasn't working anyway. That she understands why he did it. And she admires him for owning up to the other girl." A look of distaste came across her face as she said the last three words, which only made Robin realise how much prettier she looked without it.

Robin nodded. "He says he was in love with her, you know." He said, suddenly, and for reasons he wasn't exactly sure of. "The other girl." He clarified. "He was in love with her, and here I am, still internet dating." He slipped the self-deprecation to hide the confession, seen as it wasn't really hers to confess.

"Internet dating?" Regina repeated, and for the first time, a smile curled across her lips. "How's that going for you?"

"Oh, excellent. I'm meeting my true love later actually, common interests: bowling and being an absolute _loser." _He grinned, and Regina laughed. _Really _laughed.

"Forget true love; that sounds like soul mates." She commented dryly, and he laughed too. She was surprisingly easy to talk to for someone who could look so terrifying. He was now certain it was David he should have been worrying about, especially when he and Kathryn came back over a second later.

"Getting on?" Kathryn asked brightly, indicating the conversation had gone as she had intended. It was David that Robin was looking at though. There was a strange expression on his face, somewhere between anger and… absolute terror. It was an unsettling expression.

They bade Kathryn and Regina goodbye and went their separate ways, which for Robin and David, was back home (maybe with a stop at the park for ice cream but that wasn't relevant). Robin almost questioned David to find out why he was still tense, but thought better of it. David was only likely to go on the defensive. If there was something up, he'd only find out by watching closely. So he only asked a generic: 'You alright?' and David replied just as generically.

"Do I need sun cream?" Killian's voice came from the laptop, which was open on skype, showing a very confused looking Killian holding up a bottle of sultan.

"Yes!" David yelled from the kitchen, where he was making (/attempting) tea.

Killian looked at Robin questioningly. "You need it." He agreed. "You burn like a bitch, you're so pale." His friend was indignant, which only made Robin laugh. Killian didn't seem to realise the gothic looking vampire sort didn't always fare too well in hot places, such as, well, Australia.

David came in, a tea towel thrown over his shoulder that he'd been using for god-knows-what. "Does pasta go brown first?" He frowned. Robin rolled his eyes, and Killian burst out laughing.

"You're missing me already boys, I know it. Who's going to cook now?" It was true; Killian had always been in charge of food. He was a surprisingly good cook. On the contrary, David, someone you'd expect to be well versed, was abysmal. Robin thought wistfully of Killian's pasta bake. Or his homemade burgers… or…

"We'll be fine!" David said. "I can cook just fine!" He said it so confidently, neither of the other two could laugh, only sit there and observe his elite level of delusion.

"I hate to break it to you mate, but pasta is _not _supposed to go brown first_." _Killian informed David.

"I'll work it out!" David exploded. "But you won't get to try it, because you're leaving, _mate." Nothing like a bit of good natured spitting when using a form of endearment, _Robin thought, dryly. David stalked over to the kitchen, turning the music up as he passed. It was hard to take him seriously though, because he was listening to Every Breath You Take.

Killian raised his eyebrows. "What's up with him?"

Robin sighed. "No idea. He's been off all day. All week actually, now that I think about it." He frowned.

"Don't worry about it." Killian advised. "He'll tell you if it's important. Now…" He rummaged in his drawer for a second. "Red or blue?" He held up two baseball caps.

"Honestly? Neither." Robin said. "I can't believe you're leaving tonight."

Killian grimaced, throwing both hats in anyway. "I know. I'm sorry we didn't get to do anything before. But Milah didn't tell me how early she'd booked the tickets. She says her husband's suspicious, and we've got to go as soon as possible." He grimaced again, but then quickly grinned, indicating a plan had formed in his head. "Tell you what, soon as we're settled in, you and David can fly out for a week or so. Call it a holiday, whatever, we'll do something proper, I promise."

"Yeah." Robin said, considering. "That'd be cool. It's not exactly hard for David to get time off, and my boss still acts as if Marian died yesterday. Yeah, we'll do that." The prospect was quite inviting. New York could be dreary when you didn't really do anything apart from play tennis and watch TV.

"I doubt the animal shelter has support staff." Killian said. "But I'm sure the dogs will survive for a bit. Fend for themselves, you know, it'll be like Lord Of The Flies." Robin failed to see the comparison, but he nodded in a thoughtful manner anyway.

"Anyway, I think Milah's calling." Killian said, looking a little guilty. "I'll come around in an hour, yeah?" Robin nodded half-heartedly.

"I better check David hasn't destroyed my kitchen yet anyway." He said. "See you later."

"See you." Killian said, and rang off. It was a little bit depressing actually, the thought of him moving to the other side of the world. Robin was going to miss him a lot, and so was David, even if he wouldn't admit it. They'd no longer be the three musketeers, and, most worryingly, they'd no longer outnumber David in the tea coffee preference war. Though in fact, David has recently admitted to having a preference for Earl Grey, so maybe it wasn't such a tragedy.

Robin heard David swear and went up to survey the damage. He hoped he hadn't blown up the oven. It had probably cost the same amount as David's jeep, so Robin knew what he'd be asking for if the oven was, indeed decimated.

As usual, Killian arrived right on time, bearing an uneasy grin. He was trying to be as upbeat as possible, and slapped David on the shoulder as he came through the door with an enthusiastic, "Lads!"

"How long do you have?" Was David's immediate question, as he closed the door.

"Not long." Killian frowned. "Milah's anxious to be off."

"Then we'll be quick." David strode over to the kitchen and came back with three beers, which he threw two of to Robin and Killian. Robin and David had decided they weren't going to let Killian go without some sort of send-off, however small. The beer was followed by a bottle opener, which only came after David put the bottle between his teeth and then made a face.

"Come on." David grinned, ushering the other two nearer, which they did. He held up his bottle. "To Hook." Robin and Killian followed suit, Robin echoing his words.

"I think there should be a Captain in there somewhere, mate." Killian joked, with a wink.

"To Captain Hook." David conceded. "Our very best _mate._"

"Our favourite wannabe emo." Robin chimed in.

"The mighty."  
"The great."  
"The one and only."

All three of them burst out laughing as Killian flexed his muscles suggestively. "I'll drink to that." He sniggered. So they drank to it.

"Well boys, I'm going to miss you two." Killian said, still grinning. "You better not find another person to be the third musketeer. I will forever be Aramis."

"_I'm _Aramis." David moaned, and Robin smiled at the age old argument.

"No, you're not." Killian grinned, and David rolled his eyes. "Anyway, if I come back and you've replaced me with Mulan Robin, I swear to God…"

"Maybe I will." Robin laughed.

"Don't." David cut in, hurriedly. "She'll make fun of me when she wins Uno." The look on his face was so pained, Robin and Killian dissolved into hysterics. They were all slightly hyped up on the moment, and everything seemed a thousand times funnier.

There was silence for a second, before the smile slid off Killian's face and he mumbled: "I've got to go boys." Though disappointed, both Robin and David nodded understandingly and patted him on the shoulder.

"We'll be out there soon." David said, confidently, as they followed him to the door.

"Don't miss me too much." Killian forced the grin back on to his face. "I'll send you loads of pictures of the sun."

Robin pulled a face. "Shut up."

And just before Killian could leave, he grabbed him, and David too, because he was going to miss this, and he wouldn't be able to do it again for a month. David responded to the sentiment immediately, throwing his arms around his friends' shoulders, and with an eye roll, Killian did too.

"We'll miss you." Robin said, gruffly, as they pulled out of the hug.

"I know." Killian's smile was sad this time, but he smiled all the same, standing on the doorstep as hesitantly as he was. David gave him a little shove, gently urging him on. Robin and David stood in the doorway, grinning in an equally sad manner.

There was so much Robin wanted to say to his best friend right then, but he had nothing. But luckily, David was even worse at expressing himself than him, and they'd managed to come up with something they thought Killian would like a lot better than a speech.

They stood together in the doorway, and spoke simultaneously. "Oh Captain, my Captain." They paused for half a second. "Goodbye."

It was supposed to mean everything, and it did, to see the absolute emotion cross Killian's face. In that moment, Robin remembered the Killian he'd known at every age, the boy left in the man. He remembered the boy who'd been heartbroken to lose his brother. He remembered the boy who'd owned up to selling weed to get him out of trouble. He hoped Killian was remembering it all too, and felt just the same as he did. Killian had to have been experiencing a lot right then. But he fulfilled his role.

"Thank you boys. Thank you." And with that, he turned and left. Robin stared at his friend's back, and wished all the best for him.

They walked back into the house after Killian was no longer visible, both of them looking a little overwhelmed. They sat down on the sofa in silence for a minute, which David broke after what seemed like rather a while, when Robin felt as he did.

"Pub?"

"Please."

They were sat at a table, David halfway through telling some unintelligible story. He was on his fourth beer already, and they'd only been here a couple of hours. Mulan seemed to be constantly rolling her eyes at him. Robin suspected the emotional (if you wanted to call it that) goodbye was barely a fraction of the reason why David thought getting absolutely wrecked would be a good idea. In fact, he was absolutely positive Mary Margaret made up at least half of the reason.

Not that Robin could talk. He was clutching his third drink, and giggling at David's story that he couldn't even hear. Mulan too, wasn't holding anything back. But she was surprisingly less noticeably pissed, and Robin realised he'd been wrong to peg her as a lightweight.

"So then… I fell off the horse!" David finished dramatically, and also dissolved into giggles, and Mulan and Robin didn't laugh at the story they hadn't heard, but they did laugh at him. They were being quite loud, Robin became dimly aware, but he didn't really register it, and pushed the thought aside.

He watched the other people in the place, some of them in a similar condition to David, some not. He waved cheerfully at his old friends 'the merry men' in the corner, who all waved back and roared his name. He watched a blonde woman come towards them as she headed to the toilets, presumably. Or…not, he realised, as she said, "David!" Her tone was almost friendly, but there was something off about it…

David turned around, frowning at the sound of the voice like he was trying to work out who it belonged to. He turned around, and grinned. "Emma!" His tone was warm, and Robin decided she must be a friend. "How are you?" Robin admired David's almost successful effort to appear slightly more reserved.

"Great." Emma's reply was curt. Uh oh. David seemed to have noticed it too, because he visibly straightened his posture and rearranged his face.

"Can we talk, actually?" He asked.

Emma sighed. "She doesn't want to talk to you David." Her voice was almost sad, and Robin realised Emma must be a friend of Mary Margaret's; of course she would be slightly annoyed with him.

"I know, I know." David resigned. He had become so serious so suddenly, Robin wondered if he had at all been putting on the extent of his drunkenness. "I wouldn't want to talk to me either; she has every right to that." He sat up even straighter, looking Emma right in the eye. "I'm so sorry for doing what I did Emma, so sorry."

Emma sighed again, looking away from David's earnest gaze. "I know David, but I don't think that's what it's about."

Robin didn't hear his friend's reply. Nor Mulan's muttered 'I've got to go'. His phone had started ringing, and he picked it up with a frown when he saw the number.

"Hello?" He was cautious, not knowing what to expect.

"Is this Robin Hood?"

"Yes…"

The conversation was short, and he didn't realise he'd walked away from the table until he'd finished and had to walk back.

"We've got to go." He said, to David, throwing Emma an apologetic look. "Killian's been arrested."

**Just to clarify, Emma's not David and Mary Margaret's kid in this fic.**

**So, introducing Emma and Regina this chapter. I swear they'll be much more important in later chapters!**

**AND IF U THOUGHT THE 'CAPTAIN MY CAPTAIN' THING WAS WEIRD: THEY WERE QUOTING DEAD POETS SOCIETY IT WASN'T AS WEIRD AS IT SOUNDED I PROMISE U I THOUGHT IT WAS FITTING**


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